Bligh Cove to Tahsis

June 24, 2007

We awoke to broken skies with occasional sun breaking through, and after breakfast headed for Tahsis at the end of Tahsis Inlet Via a passage through the Spanish Pilot Group. We had a mixture of sunshine and showers along the 20-mile trip, and saw a bear foraging on the beach across the inlet from Santiago Creek.

It was a joy to find Westview Marina at Tahsis, such a nice, clean, and well managed marina. It is an outstanding facility with accommodating management.






After registering, and having a Mexican lunch at the Marina Cantina, we took advantage of the sunny weather and walked the .8 of a mile into the community of Tahsis and visited the small store.

Not much happening in Tahsis these days now that all the lumber mills have closed and been torn down.

By the time we got back to the marina and back on board Teal to discover we were able to get on line wireless from the boat, and get a load going in the first rate laundry room, it was raining again.Teal t laundry room, it was raining again. After dinner we made it to the very well-maintained showers while fishermen at the half dozen fish cleaning tables worked into the night cleaning and packing the day’s bountiful catch.

June 25, 2007

Beautiful sunny blue skies greeted the day, but more foul southeast weather forecast to come in. We took the opportunity of sunshine to dry out the boat, hanging the sleeping bags out to air, and pulling out and drying out stuff that was stashed in all the nooks and crannies that has been collecting moisture over these last few rainy weeks. At the time of this writing, all is dry and warm and we are happy about that. The sky is threatening again. So we feel smug that we got drying out done in the knick of time.

The marina allowed us to use their courtesy car to get our propane bottle refilled in town at the hardware and home center. The guy that is licensed to fill propane tanks? went home sick and there wasn’t anyone available to do the job until the owner, also the school principal got off work late in the day. We will go back at 9:00 Am tomorrow morning to see if we will have propane in our back up bottle.. Much to do about nothing!

George & JoAnne

Hot Springs Cove to Bligh Cove

June 22, 2007

Friday Morning we left the Hot Springs dock at 6:45 am to make our way to Friendly Harbor in Nootka Sound (49° 35.683 N / 126°.37.031 W).

It was a breaking cloud morning with the promise of sun. However, the sunbursts were few and far between. We experienced easy folowing seas on a fast reach to Estevan point. From there a fast run on surfing seas to Nootka Sound. The closer we got to Friendly Harbor, the rougher the waters got.

We saw a lot of small fishing boats in the area near the entrance to the harbor. The weather was deteriorating, it was low tide, and there was not very much room in the cove to maneuver. The captain chose to seek shelter elsewhere and headed for Ewin Inlet and Bligh Cove .

Getting across Cook Channel into Ewin Inlet was very gusty and it was raining buckets, somewhat like a squall. Shortly after getting into the inlet things settled down and by the time we reached Bligh Cove all was calm and serine.

Bligh Cove (49° 39.097 N / 126°31.156 W), named for the infamous Captain Bligh who prior to the Bounty saga served for Captain Cook at the time Cook discovered Nootka Sound and landed at Friendly Cove, circa 1778.

We spent two nights at Bligh Cove watching it rain, staying snug, dry, and warm, anchored on a glassy surface completely out of the wind.

George & Joanne

Ahousat to Hot Springs Cove

June 21, 2007

Mid morning, we departed Ahousat and headed for Hot Springs Cove via Hayden Passage We fished, without success, here and there as we went. As we approached the mouth of Sydney Inlet the swell and wind chop made one realize how spoiled we become cruising all the calm protected water ways.

We tied to the park dock at Hot Springs Cove (49° 21.735 N / 126°15.917 W) along side a sailboat from Vancouver we had tied with at Tofino, and were immediately approached by the Roley the temporary harbor master.

We had met Roley aboard his converted fishing trawler “Tropic Isle” two years ago while anchored in Joe Cove in The Broughtons. He said he was watching for us. He is a Ham radio operator and had been talking with Neil & Nancy of Harmony. They asked if he had seen us yet, as they figured according to our blog we should have been there by then. Nice to know you’re being watched out for. Jo is going to look into Ham licensing when we’re back home this fall.

We visited with tour boat drivers and crusing folks on the dock while waiting for the tour boat crowds to leave and return to Tofino and make room for us at the Hot Spring pools.

Around 5pm we left the dock garbed in swim suits under our cloths and comfy shoes, towels in back pack and proceeded on the 45 minute hike along the well-maintained board walk to the Hot Springs.

How wonderful experiencing the rain forest with its ferns and flowers, and many trees growing it seems in mid air. Some large cedars have taken root from old fallen trees and are towering into the sky balanced (for many years) on these old moss covered nurse logs. Quite a site. The Park department has done an awesome job with this long boardwalk. It’s wide enough for folks to pass each other coming and going from the Springs. A majority of the boards have boat names carved into them; some very intricate and artsy.

We arrived at the Springs and there were only about 4 people there. It is amazing how hot those sulphur spring waters are. The hottest part is the water fall at the top. The water gets cooler the closer you get to the ocean as the surf brings cooler water into the bottom pool. We were hoping the tide would come in while we were there, but that didn’t happen. It was a most enjoyable experience. We dried off and headed back to the dock, only to look forward to the next hot spring adventure to come further up the line.

George & JoAnne

Tofino to Ahousat

June 19, 2007

After chores we took two rock crabs from the trap and headed for Ahousat (ah Howz it going?) under partly sunny skies. We saw for the first time this year Coho salmon jumping, and that prompted us to do a little, unsuccessful, trolling along the way.

By the time we got into Ahousat (49° 16.928 N / 126° 04.309 W), the skies were threatening and by nightfall were raining on us.















Ahousat is a relic from a time when there was more industry on the coast. Besides the hostel, general store, that has just about anything you could imagine, there are sheds and yards full of stuff from that era as well as an old boat yard facility and restaurant.


Huey, the second generation owner of Ahousat General Store, and enterprises, told us that he had a buyer coming to take a look at the end of the month. The place has been for sale for a long time.



It rained most of the next day while our clothes were washing and drying in machines that looked like they had been resurrected from one or more of the junk piles scattered about the various yards and sheds around the general store, café and boat yard.

Two more rock crabs were taken from the trap and we had a crab lunch.

George & JoAnne

Bedwell Sound to Tofino

June 18,2007
We awoke to a completely different scene than what we anchored in. The nook was more rock than water, yet we were sitting in 15 foot of water a boat length away from the shoal as predicted. The area we had rowed in our skiff the previous evening was now exposed rocks and bare limbs. As you can see from the photo, very colorful.

Mid morning we collected our traps and found only two small rock crabs in the crab trap and one small fish and one small prawn in the prawn trap. We then headed to Tofino (49° 09.331 N / 125°54.450 W). The trip was made through the vast shoal area with its strong currents, making these water ways so different from the usual deep water ways of the rest of the Pacific Northwest.

This time we tied to the Government dock (“Whiskey Dock” so dubbed for all the obvious reasons) because it is closest to the COOP where we were going to shop. After stowing our provisions, we attempted to post to the blog and then head out for Ahousat. However, the water taxies and stop-and-go boat traffic making such huge wakes made that impossible. It was getting a little late for the trip anyway, so we went to the other end of town to the small craft harbor and secured moorage for the night.

George & JoAnne

Tranquil Inlet to Heelboom Bay

(click on images to open in new window)
June 16, 2007 :
We awoke before dawn to a driving rain which continued until mid morning, then a light rain until after lunch. George made Chili Rellenos. Very tasty. Better than a Mexican Restaurant. After collecting our empty crab trap we headed for Heelboom Bay at Drawley Passage in Fortune Channel.

Another beautifully protected anchorage also with a babbling brook, this cove is near a 300-foot hole that had prawn possibilities and we set our trap before going back into Heelboom. Once anchored, George rowed out and set the crab trap off shore from the brook.



Heelboom Bay to Bedwell Sound
(click on images to open in new window)
June 17, 2007:

Sunday. Awoke to a glassy surface in the anchorage. We headed out fairly early to do a bear search, the tides are low right now due to the new moon and animals come on to the exposed shorelines to forage. We checked our prawn trap on the way out. We had it set in 300 feet, and to our surprise we found just one prawn and four rock crabs. That’s pretty deep for crabs. The commercial boats have been hitting the prawns hard.

While we were going into Mosquito Harbor we saw a boat on the east shore of Fortune Channel slow and stop along shore. Through the binoculars we noted that all folks aboard were on the bridge…. Watching a bear. We cruised the head of the Mosquito Harbor and saw eagles and other shore birds,. But no bears there. So we headed across Fortune Channel to see if there were any bears still there.

Sure enough we found that bear and here are pictures of him perusing the shore after a good low tide feed no doubt.














After an hour long struggle getting through Matlset Narrows against a five Knot current we headed up Bedwell Sound to check out a little nook near a 300 foot Prawn hole Vince the harbor master told us about.






The spectacular nook unnamed on the chart had limited anchoring on the most protected west side and would require a stern tie to keep Teal from swinging onto the shoal at the head.

The tide is expected to be very low tomorrow morning. We’ll be sitting in a fifteen-foot hole just a boat length from where the shoal drops off into deep water. We named the nook “Sans Nam” (no name) because it isn’t named on the chart. After setting the crab trap we rowed around the shore line of the nook and we discovered that there were no less than three babbling brooks and one waterfall refreshing the water of the nook. Tomorrow we’re heading into Tofino for propane, gas, and more provisions, and then on to Auhouset before going on to Hot Springs Cove and visit the hot springs for a relaxing soak.

George & JoAnne

Tofino to Tofino Inlet

(click on images to open in new window)

June 15, 2007:
The next morning we did boat chores before winding around all the shoals in Duffin passage and Browning Channel and on into Tofino Inlet. Under blue skies and bright sunshine Tofino inlet was beautiful.

We stopped for lunch at Cannery Bay, and after setting our crab trap we went into Kennady cove where there was a small sailboat tied to the float at the old fish cannery sight. We anchored nearby and visited with the single handed sailor doing chores on his boat.

After lunch we headed up the inlet to Deer Bay, every turn along the way treated us to a scene more spectacular than the last. Deer Bay is set against towering snow covered peeks. After getting our eyes full we headed back to collect our crab trap at Cannery Bay and release the one lonely under sized Dungeness crab inside.


Then we headed up Tranquility Inlet to a beautiful and well-protected cove on the west side that the chart leaves un-named. There was a babbling brook on the east shore that added a nice hypnotic effect to ad to the tranquil little cove that made very peaceful sleeping.



This photo, taken at the cove in Tranquil Inlet shows the mirror effect seen along the shoreline at low tide. JoAnne has dubbed these picturesque scenes totems.


George & JoAnne

Ucluelet to Tofino

(click on images to open in new window)

June 13, 2007:
While fixing dinner, we glanced out and noticed the dock alive with otters. They were eyeing a small boat tied to the dock which had had a very successful fishing day.

They must have zeroed in on the fresh fish smell lingering, as the fishermen were overheard discussing coming back tomorrow and washing the boat rather than doing it now.

There must have been between 10 and 12 otters. George got some good shots of “the priates caught red handed”.



June 14, 2007:
After three days of boat and personal chores while waiting for a weather break we headed out of Ucluelet inlet under clearing skies and in lumpy seas for the 24 mile passage to Tofino. By mid morning the sun was high and warm, the seas were still lumpy but Teal rode well and on an even keel over the biggest swells. It felt like being on a runaway cable car in San Francisco…. climbing to the top of a hill not knowing where it will peak, and then sliding down the other side as the swell picks up again.

It was a roly poly ride as we entered Clayoquot Sound through the shoal Templer Channel under clear blue skies and bright sunshine; it was a beautiful sight after a week of inclement weather.

Tofino, like Bamfield, has developed on the tip of a peninsula.Once rounded a varied water front is exposed, albeit with a considerable current past all the docks at max-flood.

We pulled into the government docks at the end of town and secured moorage for the night from Vince the harbormaster. He was very helpful, as he walked to the far end of the docks & helped land her to, & directed us to the services we needed in town.

After walking around town, and getting some lunch, we went back to the boat to retrieve our backpacks and head back to the COOP “supermarket” for provisions, probably the last chance to have any selection/quantity of food stuffs until we get to Port Hardy. After loading our packs to the point of needing to help each other get the packs up on our backs, we didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the empty shopping cart left in the parking lot and pushed our load back to the marina. After stowing the stores we took the cart back to the COOP and treated ourselves to a much deserved ice cream cone at the Sugar Shack. We weren’t wearing our pedometer, but the walk UP and down again to and from town must have been 3500 steps per trip and that totaled 3 trips. Lot of leg workout today!

George & JoAnne

Nettle Island to Ucluelet

(click on images to open in new window)

June 11, 2007:
As we departed Nettle Island for Ucluelet, we picked up our crab trap. Still lots of bait in there and only one small crab to throw back. It was a little rainy and foggy. The surface was smooth in the islands and as we entered Loudoun Channel, it wasn’t bad enough to raise our sail to steady the boat: something we would live to regret. The swell and confused seas left from the previous day’s weather made a very uncomfortable ride. The closer we got to Ucluelet, the worse the seas became. Then it got too rough to go forward and put up the sail for the remainder of the trip. It just kept building until we entered the channel to Ucluelet.

We went into the small craft harbor (48° 56.775’ N / 125° 33.253’ W), which is where we are this beautiful sunny day.

A fisherman we met on the dock asked us where we had been the last few days. Seems it was really rough in the area, including in this very harbor.

And there we were in San Mateo Bay, snug as a bug in a rug. We moored at the docks in amongst fishing boats. Canadian fisheries stopped the commercial salmon season midnight June 10. They will assess the catch so far, and determine if and when the season will open again. These fishermen have it rough trying to figure out how to make a living with these on again off again seasons.

June 12,2007 :
Sport fishing for salmon has been spotty, we have seen just a few fish being brought in to the docks. Ucluelet is a major sport fishing locale. The Island Princess is a big business type of operation. They run 10 charter boats in their Princess fleet from this ship moored against the beech, and have a major hotel on shore. they are very organized and each of the 10 boats takes out at least two loads of sports a day.


We managed to get our laundry done (many wet towels what with the rain), and now we sit and blog the afternoon away waiting on the rain to start again.

We are enjoying the wireless when we can get it.

We purchased a Hawkings hi-gain antenna, while in Oak Harbor with the help of our friends Nancy & Neil of Harmony who we met last year at Oak Harbor. That has been the saving grace that has brought us Internet when we’ve been in a marginal signal area. Modern technology is great!…most of the time. The weather will dictate when we move on to our next stop at Tofino, stay tuned for the rest of the story.

George & JoAnne

San Mateo Bay to Nettle Island

(click on images to open in new window)

June 9, 2007:

We departed San Mateo Bay Sunday in a light fog. We retrieved our crab and prawn catches, which was anything BUT successful. We had one starfish in the crab trap and 2 prawns and one grayling fish in the prawn trap. That was a let down.

We checked out the entrance to Useless inlet, but didn’t want to risk going in through the waves breaking on the several rocks guarding the entrance. We checked out the cove behind Robinson Island but it was open to the weather so we headed for the anchorage tucked into Nettles Island (48° 55.761’ N / 125° 15.099’ W) in the Broken Islands National Park.

The Park Ranger’s float house is in the cove at Nettle Island. We watched a diving eagle try to make a duck his dinner – without success.



We had moments of intermittent sunshine and light sprinkles of rain. It was a calm and peaceful night and day. George went out in the afternoon and found a good-sized Rock Crab in the trap. Good enough for an appetizer. It was great!

George & JoAnne

Robbers Passage to San Mateo Bay

(click on images to open in new window)

June 8, 2007 :
Before we left the dock at PAYC for San Mateo Bay, George installed a crab trap hauler device on Teal to make retrieving the trap easier. The crab trap held only a couple of small throwback sized Rock Crab. Definitely tomorrow for crab! We did retrieve our first prawns of the year -13. Just enough for a taste to make us want more. Maybe tomorrow.


Along the way we anchored at calm and picturesque Holford Bay for lunch-



-prior to checking out the float in the well-protected nook at San Mateo Bay.

Then onto Uchucklesit Inlet to Snug Basin, noting how well protected San Mateo Bay was was if we chose to stay there for the night. We went into Limestone Bay on the way into Uchucklesit where we found two float houses, one in each of the only sheltered coves in the bay.

The Uchucklesit Inlet east shoreline is cluttered with frivolous real estate development, and the west shoreline has a large log dump and log rafting operation at the north end. We found a float house taking up the only protected nook in Snug Basin. Even at that it was a pleasant and scenic ride back to San Mateo Bay.

At San Mateo Bay (48° 56.744’ N / 125° 00.168’ W) we tied to the float, which reminded us very much of Joe Cove in the Broughton Islands near Port McNeill. A young couple Dan and Lori came in and tied up their Sea Sport powerboat behind us. Dan treated us to salmon he had smoked himself. It was really tasty! They were having a relaxing weekend of fishing and had caught a couple of Chinook salmon off shore before coming in for the night. They departed Saturday around noon in a driving rain. We snuggled in, played Yatzee, and stayed warm and dry while we waited out the weather. That evening a couple of prawn boats came in and tied to the float for the night. They said it was blowing about 30 knots or more out at the mouth of the sound. We would have never known. The rain eventually let up and we had a peaceful night on the float.

George & JoAnne